CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi softball team overcame a recent offensive slump and slugged past UTSA in a 7-2 victory Wednesday to win their home opener at Chapman Field.
The Islanders (5-10) stayed disciplined and scored the majority of their early runs by loading the bases from drawing multiple walks. Their knocks then came at opportune times, only outhitting the Roadrunners (9-5) 7-6 but working them better for the five-run advantage.
On the other end of the ball,
Holly Ayala pitched the complete game to hold UTSA to just the two runs for her first win of the season in the circle. It marks her second complete game of the year.
It is the fifth season in a row that the Islanders won their home opener.
Both teams took the first to settle both at the plate and in the field, but the Islanders found wind in the bottom of the second as their first three batters all reached base.
Skylar Heger drew the lead-off walk while
Ripley Welker and
Karisa Lopez followed her up with back-to-back base hits. With bases loaded and no one out, the new UTSA pitcher's first throw hit
Zoey Stewart to bring Heger home and
Katelyn Crossman relieved her on the base paths and for the rest of the game.
CJ Castilla then held off and drove in a run after reaching base on balls and two batters later, Mimi Thorton also got clipped for a hit-by-pitch RBI and 3-0 lead in the game.
The Islanders matched their second-inning success in the third, playing another three runs to really break open the game.
Crystal Davila, Heger, and Welker were walked to lead off the third with
Natalie Garcia pinch running for Davila. She was tagged out at home on the force out from Lopez's at-bat, but the bases remained loaded with just the one out.
Crossman then drove Heger home after putting the ball in play, and Castilla sent one over the shortstop to left to drive in Welker and Lopez for the 6-0 advantage.
UTSA would finally get on the board in the fourth before tacking on their second in sixth which was then covered by the Islanders in the bottom frame after a single from
Mimi Thornton scored Castilla who had reached on the bunt single for the 7-2 score which held final.
The Islanders continue to trail UTSA now 36-28 in the all-time series but have won the last two meetings after taking a 4-2 decision on a neutral field last year. They improve to 18-16 over the Roadrunners when playing them at home.
On deck:
The Islanders will now out of state, taking a trip to Colorado State to play three games against the Rams Friday and Sunday.
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